A common issue in geological petrography work is the analysis of thin sections. An example of this is the petrographic study of rock samples, for example, mineral composition, texture, and otherwise. Information can be inferred from the thin sections by geologists and petrographers. This information includes, but is not limited to, detrital constituents, texture, clays, matrix, cement, and porosity. Since hydrocarbon fluids may be found in the pore spaces between the detrital grains, the analysis of thin sections is an example technique for the examination of rocks and the evaluation of their different parameters. Hence, the study of geological thin sections (for example, sedimentary petrography) has become one of the important disciplines for hydrocarbon exploration.
Conventionally, thin section analysis has been determined by a point counting method performed on the thin section. Although point counting is very time consuming, it is of common use in several domains including geology, biology, medicine, and materials sciences, among others. Point counting in thin sections is normally conducted through mechanical or electromechanical devices attached to a microscope. Such mechanical or electromechanical devices can be very expensive, and offer limited functionality. Point counting may also require an extensive cognitive workload for a geologist. Further, the final results of the point counting analysis may be subjective and dependent on the geologist's appreciation and expertise.